pedalboard economy

Progrockabuse · Post by **Progrockabuse** » Thu Aug 14, 2008 11:49 pm

hey all,

something i battle with a lot of time is my pedalboard. it used to be, whatever ever pedal i owned, i had to put on the board. after a while i realized that i'd only really use maybe two or three of them at the most. so then i stripped down to those two or three pedals that i used and that worked for a while.

the main problem is mainly when it comes to overdrive/distortion/fuzz etc. the things that stay the same on my board are the delay and the salt-booster. it seems that i'll get a really nice sound from the dirt pedal i've put on the board, but then i'll get to a gig and i'd wish i had the other pedal that i left at home. i really don't want to put too much on my board. is it wrong to have a lot of dirt pedals on a board?

anyone else struggle with economy on pedalboards?

Post by **dots** » Thu Aug 14, 2008 11:52 pm

i don't think there's anything wrong with it so long as what's on there gets used. i've seen guys show up to gigs with these monstrosities and end up stomping on like 2 or 3 pedals the whole show. but then there's guys like paincake who indeed had like 4 or 5 overdrive/distortion pedals, and each one saw use during gigs when he played out.

it's your board in the end, dude.

letsgocoyote · Post by **letsgocoyote** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 5:08 am

its hard because pedals are sweet, but i feel like if i had like alot on a board id feel like a tool. but its a tough balance

aen · Post by **aen** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 5:42 am

I have the problem that I write a lot of songs based on effects, so it used to be everytime I got a pedal, it would become indispensible for the set. Now I dont have a band or any free time!

Will · Post by **Will** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 6:35 am

If it takes you 20 pedals to get your sound and be comfortable making music, then that's what it takes. It would be loverly if we could all do gigs with 5 Watt 1x6" Fender Champs, but most of us would not be comfortable with that rig (though it would be economical). We accept the inconvenience of a bigger, heavier amp in order to get our sound. If it takes a massive pedal board, so be it.

I'm down to a DIY'd Clyde McCoy clone or a Fuzz Face about half the time, otherwise I'm just plugged straight in - that's the rig I'm comfortable with for the music I play. If I was in a Radiohead style band, I don't think I'd be comfortable with less then 10 pedals. It's all relative.

At the end of the day, it should be about having the tools you need to unleash your creativity.

Post by **Mike** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 7:25 am

I'm getting to the stage where I'm going to need a board again. it's getting silly.

I used to have a big old board with lots of drive, modulation and delay effcts, but then I got rid of them all for the JVM.

Now that's gone (:() and I'm back on the 6100, I definitely needed an overdrive for a breakup sound (take a bow OLC Orange Peel), and then I built a complete Box Of Rock Clone with the boost that noone bought, so I took it to band practise and fell in love with that for the more vintage style overdrive sounds, and the flexibility of a boost for louder clean parts etc. Those two plus my tuner is 3 pedals, plus my 3 way 6100 footswitch. I've recently been annoyed at not having delay for my lead line in Leaving Town, the verse of Twisted Up and the outro of Bloc Party's Banquet so instead of using the Big Ass DMM with it's own power supply I got a Behringer VD400 Vintage Delay (DM-2 or DM-3 clone I believe), so that'll be on there too.

4 pedals + an amp footswitch. That means I have to get a pedalboard again (facepalm)

paincake · Post by **paincake** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 8:17 pm

I created two boards. One was the gig board and the 2nd was all the other pedals. At practice I just used the gig board but when the band left a simple wire tapped all the rest. You have to play with your pedals to discover if you want/need them or not. I believe for gigging you should be as stripped down as possible. Of course this is coming from a guy that for years trudged around 14 pedals per show. I would use less now.

I believe in multiple overdrives and multiple EQ pedals. I stand by it. Proud. N' shit.

euan · Post by **euan** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 8:42 pm

I love cascading overdrives and boosts. Its pretty much where I get my standard kicks.

Post by **Mike** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 8:44 pm

Never realised how much fun could be had with that until the moment James put his booster into the OCD.

Fucking hell.

euan · Post by **euan** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 8:46 pm

I bought two Drivemaster so I could cascade them.

<3

I've not actually tried a Drivemaster+Drivemaster+SHO combination.

paincake · Post by **paincake** » Fri Aug 15, 2008 9:12 pm

Seymore Duncan Booster -> Daddy O Overdrive -> Blues Driver -> Marshall Guv'nor -> Rat -> 2 EQs -> a bunch of other shit

Post by **Doog** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 12:24 pm

Ideally, I'd have like 3 dirt boxes (OD, phat distortion, fuzz), and a booster, plus all my usual pitchshift, delay and tremolo gubbins but I found I just can't be fucked to deal with that many options in a live situation as a singer- even though I'd definately "assign" parts to each that would suit, it's just a pain.

sonicboom · Post by **sonicboom** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 2:32 pm

Economy - the word - drew me to this thread. For a very long time I was a confirmed guitar + amp person. Simple, straightforward, kinda macho, no batteries yadda yadda.
First time ever I'm running three pedals (Bad Monkay, Tuna Melt, LPB-1) plus me amp footswitch (only really for woooaaaeee feedback when requared).
All on th board, and now I'm thinking tuner? Feels like a lot of pedals, suddenly for two normal-sized feet. And if you're singing, like Doog said, there arises a "fucked to deal" issue.
Actually loving the (ahem) sound palette available with that limited lot in a live situation. I wouldn't be so presumptious or pretentious to adopt Johnny Marr's terminology of "colourist", but that's what it starts to feel like.
Liberating, yep.

sonicboom · Post by **sonicboom** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 2:36 pm

Re-read me post there....just to fend off the Marr fans - I meant me being pretentious etc, not JM.

He's a stand-up guy as far as I can tell - outrageously talented and down to earth with it.

Yep, Johnny Marr. Top man.

kim · Post by **kim** » Sat Aug 16, 2008 3:43 pm

yeah it's annoying, i'm also very lazy so when i want to actually record an idea at home i can't be arsed to connect my pedalboard and just send guitar straight into the computer but then i'm like 'i could use this pedal or that pedal right now'.. i love pedals because they make it possible to go a bit more crazy than just a guitar alone, depends on what you wanna do too.

i can understand why certain 'purists' refuse any sorts of fx on a guitar and think there's nothing better than guitar straight into amp, also they tend to say 'less is more' like it makes you be more creative with the way you play guitar.. i get all that and sometimes feel that's the way i want it too... but then again.... NOT

lately i removed most pedals from my guitar pedalboard and put them on my 'vocals' pedalboard for another project. just kept the absolute 'musts' to me like delay, trem, oct up fuzz. tgd is a big issue , i love that pedal but don't know wether it's cooler on vocals than on guitar.

you're doing it right tho prog, just keep the ones that you really use a lot on there and keep the rest somewhere else until you really feel a certain craving for a pedal when you think it could add to a song instead of just being a nice little extra.
have pedal elections !

or start a new project with the pedals that didnt make it to the board. lol

Post by **Hurb** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 8:56 pm

I'm struggling with my pedalboard like never before. I don't want just any old noise makers on there...I want a theme sort of. and also I want my noise making to not be obvious, Like I could add loads of kool weird sounding pedals on there and make all sorts of awesome weird sounds, but it's kinda obvious...I dunno I am thinking organic if that's not such a lame sounding term? So I am sticking to fuzz's mostly and trying different ones and the shit that happens when they get stacked. but It's also the size of the pedal board I am struggling with....I want less is more.....but it's not that practical and its restricting. aghhhhhhhhh!!!!!

but saying all that this is what I am left with tonight

I want to add a blue box on there and space echo one day....but I guess something would have to go then.

Post by **Mike** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 9:03 pm

It looks like a cool pedalboard to me. Fuzz x 3, Noise/Squelch x1, Delay x2 and PitchDelay x1. Must cover a lot of ground.

Also obviously elated to see the Hemy-Roid still on there.

Post by **Hurb** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 9:11 pm

Yeah, the fuzzes do crazy things to the noise box. the hemi roid is a great main fuzz I stomp on this the most and you know what it sounds like (i.e awesome)
Problem is I get bored real quick and swap shit about...its a constant cycle. I can't ever see me taking the hemi off though.
I think If I got the space echo the vintage delay would have to go. the blue box will just have to squeeze on somehow.

Fran · Post by **Fran** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 10:04 pm

Its an endless battle, especially if you use a valve amp. One night you sound great and the next it just aint happening.
I kind of settled on two Big Muffs, Wah, DD-6 and Dod 250. But the Dod is a noisy hissy bastard and i'm getting pretty sick of it. So, i picked a Double Muff up the other day for peanuts. I might replace the Dod with that BUT.. i've heard they have to go first in the chain or they suffer a personallity disorder.

There was a time i had about 9 pedals at a gig/rehearsal but my playing suffered due to tap dancing on every song. The greatest sound shaping tools are your fingers and tremelo arm anyways.

Post by **Doog** » Mon Aug 18, 2008 10:44 pm

Hurb wrote:I'm struggling with my pedalboard like never before. I don't want just any old noise makers on there...I want a theme sort of. and also I want my noise making to not be obvious, Like I could add loads of kool weird sounding pedals on there and make all sorts of awesome weird sounds, but it's kinda obvious...I dunno I am thinking organic if that's not such a lame sounding term? So I am sticking to fuzz's mostly and trying different ones and the shit that happens when they get stacked.

I'm with you on that- I got fed up of having silly sounding pedals come and go- you can get much more interesting and unusual sounds by using pedals together and putting a bit of thought in to settings, orders etc.